I am interested in your feedback on the title to this post: what is God to you? I think this could be quite entertaining for our comment section. More importantly, I believe we gain new insight and perspective from each other. So I wanted to open that door for readers of Spirit of the Scripture, and hopefully we’ll all learn something new, or at least assimilate some new ideas to ponder going forward from each other.
As the moderator, I want to focus on a few particular scriptures which I feel offer us a glimpse into the reality of God, and how the riddle pertains to you. I’ll share what I have interpreted from these verses, and then leave the floor open for you to agree or disagree, or take the conversation in a completely new direction. That’d be okay for this post, and I invite you to do so if you so desire. I’d love to consider alternate perspectives.
The verses I am going to use for the cornerstone of our discussion often get neglected because I feel that are somewhat elusive to some, at least on the surface. But with a little bit of digging I believe you’ll find them quite revelatory, especially when placed in the proper context and theme of certain Biblical stories. At least, what they have spoken about to me about who or what God is is nothing short of astounding, and they weighed heavily on me as I began an esoteric journey into unraveling the mystery of God after leaving traditional religion.
Background for these scriptures
One of the themes in the book of Exodus is deliverance from bondage. But exactly what is that bondage, and what are the Israelites being delivered unto? I believe the verses that inspired this article should be considered before we answer this question in order to receive an answer as to the riddle of God.
Before embarking back to Egypt, Moses asks God a very important question. He asks for God’s name. Names are important. They are often used to define attributes, to define an identity. To explain a “who” or a “what.” But when God answers Moses, he doesn’t provide a name, nor does God provide an identity that encourages us to seek something “out there.” I believe his answer implies a process of SELF discovery—especially when placed in the proper context of the Exodus and what came before it. In short, I would like this question and God’s answer to become the premise for the Exodus.
In the Exodus story, the Israelites are bound to serve the Pharaoh of Egypt. This taskmaster is harsh, and the Israelites are slaves to his will. Instead of living a “Promised Land” type of experience, they are unwittingly and stubbornly trapped to serve someone else. I say unwittingly and stubbornly because the story gives us hints that the Israelites show resistance to being delivered, manifested as fear and unbelief, and the will to remain in bondage to their base desires.
Esoterically, Egypt represents the mental arena of desire, the place that sets the trap whereby the soul becomes enslaved to objects of the world through the senses, in juxtaposition to the Promised Land, which embodies the upper mental arena of freedom from that bondage.
We know Egypt represents this because the Israelites often responded to God’s deliverance with a complaint such as:
“If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted… (Exodus 16:3).
The snare of desire is strong indeed, and deceives us into capitulating the soul’s growth.
Continuing with our symbolic analysis, we can see that Pharaoh represents the egoic mind, which is the taskmaster that actually does the enslaving by producing the illusion that we are separated from God. In the exodus story, a bit of pharaoh is actually in the Israelites themselves as God continually has to send greater and greater plagues before the ego (pharaoh) is broken and the Israelites are even truly willing to undergo the journey. Remember that internal resistance I spoke of earlier that the Israelites exhibit?
“Didn’t we say unto you in Egypt, leave us alone: let us serve the Egyptians?” (Exodus 14:12).
Have you ever rejected that still small voice within you—that whisper of the higher mind—telling you to let go of gratifying and indulging your base desires to seek something greater?
In esoteric wisdom, the two (ego and desire) are intertwined, and we each have a pharaoh in our own lives through the deceit of our own egos, which can act as a taskmaster of the self.
Once the Israelites begin the journey to the Promised Land (the place of liberation), the Israelites must first endure the wilderness, just as Jesus did, and just as John the Baptist, the forerunner, himself the epitome of the wilderness.
The wilderness experience symbolizes the process of going within, and exploring the self, which is a process towards self-discovery, and is fraught with challenges. It is a direct confrontation with the lower egoic mind, where we must battle the Canaanites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
The Canaanites, and all “-ites” that are progenitors, symbolically represent the center of our personalities of the lower mind, which is the cause for the illusion of separateness from God. We shouldn’t become too spiritual here, because in reality the lower self is separated from God, but only through a veil of illusion, which only the Christ mind can rent in two. Nevertheless, the wilderness experience is a blessing in disguise! A wonderful journey of awe, conflict with the self, and internal stirring to produce an awakening. Why else did God have to lead them on such winding, alternate routes, making the journey so long and arduous? It is because we must stay in the wilderness until the lower ego is willing to die off, just as the first generation did.
And whether we become a Joshua and a Caleb that sees ourselves in a different light, one that has no fear, is up to us. And even when we arrive, it is up to us to remain, and to continue that journey of self-discovery, even when a new giant comes to taunt us. Which brings us back to that question: what is God to you?
And now we can ponder this question within the context of Moses’ original question to God and God’s answer for some mind boggling spiritual revelation.
God reveals the mystery of his seemingly elusive nature to Moses
Before the Israelites even dared to trust God’s sent deliverer (Moses) and leave Egypt, they would want to know God’s name. At least, this is Moses’ excuse to God.
As I have stated earlier, names provide defining attributes. They give the mind something to grasp onto, and often we stubborn egos don’t want to believe in something until we can define it. And isn’t this what dogma and doctrine (religion) has produced?
But God’s answer to Moses about who he is doesn’t give Moses any concrete defining attributes, and instead directs us to look within. It blows religion right out of the water. Consider the scriptures:
“And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? (Exodus 3:13).
In other words, who are you? And that is the question we have all grappled with at some point or another, isn’t it? For some, it is THE question.
The scripture continues:
“What shall I say into them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God is Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever…” (Exodus 3:14-15).
What an answer! Let’s break that answer down into two parts:
- I AM THAT I AM…
- The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – this IS my name.
I want to consider each of these answers separately, and then we’ll discuss how they intertwine, and why both are necessary.
Traditionally, I AM THAT I AM has been explained as God saying he is the self-existent one. This is true, but a deeper look reveals something else that is rather enlightening.
I AM THAT I AM is actually better translated from the Hebrew: “I will be that which I will be,” or “I will become that which I become.”
But wait a minute. God isn’t supposed to be “becoming” something. He is already the self-existent one, right?
A deeper inspection of God and Moses’ discussion implies that an aspect of God is a state of continually manifesting, or continually becoming. I want to show you why I think it means God is also the end result of a process of self-discovery. An experiential discovery. In other words, it implies God in the self, the true self.
Jesus makes this so abundantly clear when he states:
“The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21).
To me, when we look at the scripture through esoteric lenses we see that God is not externally “out there.” And for me, the second part of God’s response to Moses also makes this clear, and it takes a bit of pondering to realize how profound it is.
God tells Moses that his name is actually found in the fact that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This means God is found in an action, not a noun (an identity). Rather than reply with a single defining name and identity, God states that the transformative process that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob went through is symbolic of, and IS his name. You may want to read that again. The transformative process that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob went through IS his name. What internal transformative process did these Biblical characters go through?
Esoterically, these three men of Genesis symbolize a dim reflection of the divine nature within us, as a trinity.
Andrew Jukes, in his work, The Types of Genesis, once said:
“Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are types of the divine life, manifesting itself in the spirit, in the understanding, and in the body respectively;–for this is only another way of saying that they are the spirit of faith, of sonship, and of service: for sonship is the bringing of the divine life into our understanding, and service is bringing it into our outward bodily acts.” pp 250-51.
Consider a few important scriptural events.
Jacob is transformed into Israel when he wrestles with an angel of the Lord, which the Bible also identifies as God. Was Jacob actually physically wrestling with God, or was this an internal process? Of course Jacob is not literally wrestling with God, for no man can see God. God changes his name to Israel after Jacob prevails with God, or wins the wrestling match! Can a man wrestle with God physically and win? This was an internal process for Jacob.
Similarly, Abram is transformed into Abraham after an encounter with God as a burning smoking lamp comes to him as he falls into a deep sleep, symbolizing a precursory crucifixion of the ego. That deep sleep is an alternate state of Being in consciousness, what Jesus refers to as the kingdom within.
The very fact that God tells Moses his name is found within the act of being the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob should steer us to discover what these men represent in scripture. For God cannot be known intellectually, but only experientially. In order to experience God, you must experience the nature of the true self, which contains the manifestation of God through you.
So what is the I AM THAT I AM, or the, I will become that which I will become? Could it be that it depends largely upon you, as an invitation to experientially KNOW God, without having to define him or quote scripture from a dogmatic point of view? God invites the Israelites on a journey of self-discovery by going within, first by delivering them from the bondage of their own ego, and then continuing the transformative process in the wilderness, which is a metaphor for a journey of the soul.
Some argue that to imply the true self, a part of us, as God is heresy – that it is full of ego. But is this true?
Perhaps they are speaking from a limited understanding of what this truly means, and are actually speaking from their own limited ego-perspective reality. Maybe they are full of fear, and cannot yet comprehend what Jesus really is saying when he quotes Psalm 82:6 in reply to the Pharisees about his claiming to be God, even though he is also presented as being just a mere man:
“I said, ye are all gods, ye are all sons of the most high.”
If one claims to be one with God within the confines of his own ego, he is disillusioned. But if one claims this within the confines of his or her own crucifixion of the ego, that is something different. And his or her love for all of creation and his or her neighbor should speak for itself. Fear and sin is really separateness from God. And that is the grand illusion. But on that day, the day of resurrection, Jesus states that you will know I am in the father, and you are in me.”
What is Jesus really saying? Is he talking about a literal resurrection, or a resurrection of the lower ego, the lower mind, after it is crucified and raised up and joined/married to the higher mind? Remember dear readers, Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, the place of the skull, where the brain / mind resides. Is the Bible dropping us subtle hints that the way to God is the process of self-discovery, something that lies within us, beyond the veil of the lower egoic mind?
Is the Promised Land meant to symbolize a literal physical location, or a state of BEING? A state of manifesting God outwardly once you have found God inwardly?
Is God telling Moses that the Israelite must be delivered from themselves? To realize a divine trinity within, as being the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?
So I ask you again, who or what is God to you?
I also reiterate, please feel free to disagree or offer alternative perspectives. Maybe you feel the real truth is a combination of the traditional view of God as well as the esoteric, or maybe you completely agree or disagree. The floor is yours.
God can be a verbal representation of the cosmic collective consciousness of the quantum universe. It can also be called Christ consciousness. The term collective includes us, for, Jesus said, You are gods. (John 10:34). We are a part of the godhead. We evolved as a social creature. Ideally, we are to work for the common good.
David…
This is a view I also somewhat share. What fascinates me from a scientific standpoint is that there is no such thing as nothing, because such a state would be unstable, and therefore some “thing” must arise. While most physicist are still clinging to a material universe, it makes much more sense to me that this something that must arise is a manifestation of primordial consciousness interacting with itself in an elaborate, infinite mind. I once read an interesting piece on how when consciousness interacts with itself it creates and manifests individual experiences, matter and what we refer to as space-time, as the flow of consciousness innately curves in on itself. But matter isn’t really what we are led to believe. If all matter is 99.99999 percent empty space where virtual particles pop in and out of existence, and the .000001 percent that is actually something that is more accurately described as vortices of vibrating energy, then why does anyone except a material universe?
The piece I read even explained how gravity fits in, and how all the energy in the universe effectively balances out to zero, and therefore, nothing. Is nothingness the void where the I AM THAT I AM Becoming manifests from? Of course no one has the complete answer, but it was interesting nonetheless. When we begin to understand the nature of nothingness, I believe scientist will have a lot more to say about consciousness one day.
And yes, the true theme of God is love, the universal attracting force that draws all things back to ONENESS, and as we work for the common good as you say, we are making those steps. When we do this we also help manifest heaven on earth.
Thanks for commenting.
YES…all very good insight …..We must all hold the cross of Christ high as we crucify the lower ego
and move toward the spirit /Atma and ,the God within ourselves……..I love the trinity aspect of the 3
old testament patriachs….THAT is a great esoteric unravelling…love that……Thank YOU
Robert…
While I understood the symbolic representation of the patriarchs long ago, I had never pieced it together as God explaining that that was his name, as an action in their lives. As I reread it jumped out of me, which I thought was quite significant. It actually provides, at least for me, a new level of clarity to the Exodus and why the generation was enslaved in Egypt, and why the story was pieced together as it was. There are so many layers of meaning. It’s a brilliant explanation in allegorical terms the journey of the soul, and so practical to even today when interpreted esoterically. But I realize everyone might not see it in the same light.
One other thing I wish to share is that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha. In Hebrew Golgotha means ‘place of the skull’. So one can take it literally, however the place of the skull IS YOUR SKULL… so we ‘crucify’ ourselves between our ears. So how do we ‘crucify’ ourselves? By not loving all parts of ourselves in The Christ Consciousness. By arguing with ourselves over something or some matter or something that comes up from the unconscious or from the collective unconscious/consciousness. Only by acknowledging that and saying thank you for it, then placing it on the altar in your MIND where The Christ Consciousness is, will it be healed, made whole and no longer exist. “Ask and it shall be given”.
Joshua and Robert, we needs must ask ourselves what IS GOD? What are the Principles or Principle of God? What are the Aspects of God? For me God IS FIRST CAUSE, FIRST PRINCIPLE. The rest I’ll answer soon. Blessings, Robherta
Rhoberta…
Yes, I agree, and have mentioned more about Golgotha in other articles on this site. The physiological changes that happen to the brain while someone goes within, as shown even by science, is astounding. Raymond could talk a lot about this 🙂
I firmly believe meditation is the doorway we enter through to begin a deeper spiritual journey, although our life experiences provide growing opportunities and provide insight as well when we can reflect.
Tantric knowledge that I have personally encountered insinuates that sexual transmutation is a method of crucifying the ego too. I don’t know for sure as I’ve not started practicing. We all know about meditation and drawing sexual energy up the Ida and Pingala. But do you think that sexual transmutation can be a process to achieving Christ Consciousness?
Michelangelo, sure it is. But I think some go overboard on this one. This energy naturally depletes as we get older unless we take care of ourselves and have balance in everything we do, think, and feel. For me, it’s more about balance, something I think we all struggle with from time to time.
I had never seen the meaning of Golgotha. That is amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Joshua, Briefly, it is called The ALL and the NOTHING… they exist side by side. So what is Consciousness? Is it the donut and the hole as well as the outside or is it all the three symbols?
Naturally it is ALL of them. And that is how we are made too. Blessings until next time. R.
Thanks for this comment, Rhoberta. Yes, no-thing is really every-thing. The ALL is manifested through limitation and individuality, and can return to it’s source, as a drop of individual water can return to the ocean. Of course this is a crude example, but an apt analogy nonetheless in simpler terms.
Hi Robert and Hi Joshua,
Joshua, I will answer in time, and in-depth, your request. “Entertaining”?!
Robert, I like to think of not so much ‘crucify the lower ego’ but bring it to the light of consciousness and LOVE it. By loving it, we release the tension in it. After all I AM LOVE, I AM PEACE, I AM JOY and so on.
I believe Moses was illiterate. So my belief at this time is, I AM THAT I AM could read I AM THAT, I AM.
Notice the comma? I AM THAT… so everything in and of and out of me, you, Joshua, the animal world, the natural world, the Cosmos (if you will) is ME. So I AM THAT, I AM… is I AM you, nature, and so on, I AM.
And that is where the LOVE IS.
Blessings, Robherta A McGregor
Robherta, I believe that in the expression ‘crucifying the lower ego’ we should not interpret the term crucifying in its literal painful way. Which suggests that we should force our ego to conform to certain standards by any painful means. When I use this term in my articles I mean bringing everything into balance again. There are different methods for that but yours could certainly be one of them!
You have an interesting view of the Name I AM THAT I AM. You place a comma inside that Name which leads you to a conclusion that God is Everything. A conclusion that I also shared in my comment to Joshua’s article. I never consciously connected that conclusion to this Name when I wrote that.
The Hebrew original is EHEYEH ASHER EHEYEH, which means I shall be whatever I shall be. Which opens the possibility to become anything whatever.
Placing a comma inside the Hebrew version of I am that I am is not an option however. They did not have any punctuation marks at that time, so when placing them later, that was the first kind of interpretation already.
What leads you to your belief that Moses was illiterate? When taken in a historical context, then Moses was raised as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and would probably have received a first class education. Which might have been very useful for his function as the leader of the people of Israel later on.
The word God……………spells dog backwards…………………live spells evil backwards…………..
The word repulses me when I see how much judgement and division comes when you say the word God.
The word is suppose to represents true love…….REALLY?????????? NOT EVEN
power source…pure energy…highest vibration…..no caps needed as no power struggle or identity crisis.
Cindy…
I hear you. It is sad that that so much hatred has been spread in the name of religion and God, often unknowingly by the persons doing it. Dogma and doctrine can lead to severe judgment – I am right and everyone who disagrees is wrong. The truth, I believe, about God is that we cannot teach someone to know God, they must experience it for themselves.
I AM THAT I AM certainly gives us a different way to think about what we term “God.” Of course there will always be thousands of different interpretations and believes and labels put on both terms.
I found this book………….really the truth is….. the book found me…..EXCELLENT!
The Impersonal Life
Benner, Joseph S.
Hi, Isnt God YHWH – tetragrammation? Could you explain what that is Joshua? The work of Nassim Haramein – an astro pbysicist, who deals with the flower of life as the tetragrammation is amazing, he is found at Resonance.is ….
Adrianne…
Yes! The Tetragrammaton explains the manifestation of the logos on the four planes below the highest in esoteric thought. Here’s a link to my article explaining this in detail:
http://www.spiritofthescripture.com/id2599-the-esoteric-meaning-of-the-tetragrammaton.html
I hope that clears it up for you, and you’ll see how it fits into the I AM THAT I AM as well.
Love this as much as any other post in the site. Thank you again for amazing work everyone.
For me there is is a Gestalt Of Divinity (G.O.D.) that brings us all home to our full self and only when we are ready to be that full Self will we realise that full Self. There are many steps, many mountains, many valleys, oceans, rivers, fiords, crevices, caves, rocks, trails, streams, brooks, gutters, skyscrapers, huts, tepees, houses, vehicles, flowers, weeds, bridges, fish, cattle, birds, rats, flies, butterflies, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, values, notions, creeds, religions, practices, computers, stories, songs, visions, dreams, breaths, and nothingness to be and become along these paths. As we be, so we become, and as we become, so shall we be. I surrender all that I am to being life itself. Inhale, exhale, inspiration, expiration, give, receive. Letting life be, as God, through me. Namaste & blessings. 🦋💕🦋💕🦋
Gabriella…
What a great comment. Only when we are ready, and sometimes we think we are fully ready and then we are confronted with something that makes us pause, or hesitate to surrender. The wilderness experience is definitely a process, and the Canaanites are many and varied. Isn’t interesting that when we fail to surrender one thing, we will always find it again on the other side of mountain in a totally different situation. We can never run from what we need to confront in order to complete our purpose. In this life, or the one/s to come.
I have pondered this subject many times and I couldn’t of made it any clearer than you did, Joshua. Thanks for sharing with us. Be well.
Thanks Randy. My pleasure.
Hi Josh, the English say : spot on ( i think :).
I enjoy all the reactions, even the angry one (struggle with God).
2 remarks
– quote ‘And isn’t this what dogma and doctrine (religion) has produced?’ – we need this. Projecting outside, looking at it, denying it, until … Until hitting rock bottom, turning outside in and becoming to see.
– the kingdom within – has to conquered, won over, foreign influences have to go. One needs to establish frontiers and maintain them. Staying vigilant against intrusions. Once established, the big job can begin. Transforming all these inner essences to our allies, friends. How ? By visiting them daily, or most effectively by each cycle of breath out and breathe in. That way we stay connected and take our proper place in the universe.
Kind regards,
Leo.
AYAH ASHER AYAH.:…I WILL BE…. WHAT I WILL TO BE
Lovely. Absolutely agree with your post. What can I add? What is God for me?
God is a mistery, god is NOT KNOWING, it’s only experience, it’s live unfolding moment after moment.
God is the ethernal present to who you can awake when leave your ego behind, where you are free from desire and attachment, free from past and future, this is the deliverance from bondage.
God is love, the love that appears when you are not your lower-self anymore.
Thanks
True Javier…
We can never know the fullness of God through the intellect, but we can experience God.
Its actually quite simple….
YOU ARE God (Light) having a physical experience in this lifetime…. but most Ego’s do not know this yet, until you become Illuminated, which then leads to Ascension and Enlightenement 🙂
Thanks for the comment, DSK. I also believe spirit and matter are two sides of the same coin, so the developing ego which gives us the illusion of being separate makes perfect sense.
Hi Josh,
In this case I don’t want to give a comment to your article but an answer to the question in the title. Who is God to me? Your explanation in the article is based on biblical texts but mine is not. The first part I received in a sort of meditative state when I was pondering this question after someone asked me years ago.
“I believe that there is no one definition in order to define God.
If I had to choose a word anyway it would be Everything. There just is not anything that is not God manifesting on one of the multitudinous frequencies. In the lowest frequencies that would be without much if any conscious awareness but still a manifestation of God. We cannot get away from God however we might try as we are a part of God. In our case with a very much diminished awareness as we put on a blindfold so to speak before we entered into this physical body in order to have certain experiences. What fun is playing a game if you know all the best possibilities and the answers to all the questions already? The fun is in finding out and inventing new possibilities for ourselves.
We do have all the potentials of God in us, even though they have not all been activated yet.
I think you can see us (humans, animals, plants, minerals, cells, atoms, quanta, planets, stars, galaxies, universes a.s.o.) as points of focus of attention of God. Each of us is a cell or an atom in a greater universe and is a universe to smaller entities. God as the highest entity of all is encompassing all of us and perceiving and experiencing through us. As we are experiencing through our organs and cells and atoms and maybe are ‘god’ to them.
There is no God that is separate from us but when you consider us to be the focal points in the feet of God (using the metaphor of a human body), as we live in the densest frequency vibrations, and the focal point that encompasses all is the brain, you can also imagine communication between the feet and the brain in order to make them function.
So while there is no God outside us because we are in God and God is in us, we still may want to experience communication and pretend that God is outside of us.
The fact is that we cannot possibly understand how things are in Reality with a capital R as long as we are still wearing this blindfold. We are waking up though because we are now at least aware of the fact that we are wearing a blindfold and that this world is nothing but an illusion. So maybe we should stop arguing about what really happened in whatever time and whatever place, because none of that is real anyway, except the Love and Conscious Awareness we gained from whatever happened in the world we created.”
Another reply to this question, that I have already shared lots of times on this blog, is of course:
God is Love, unconditional love, God is Consciousness, God is the Life Force in all of creation, God is One, the oneness that connects all seemingly separate parts of creation in one interconnected whole, which quantum science calls entanglement. Or in other words a unity in diversity. All this is of necessity an aspect of God as All that is.
And as a trinity God is Generation – Organisation – Dissolution/renewal. The process of life, also described as: Creator – (process of) Creating – Creation.
Great comment, Anny. I was recently searching how many physicists out there, with good credentials, might actually think that all matter could have a latent seed of consciousness, no matter how small or lowly in awareness. There are actually quite a few, and the movement is growing. I am in the same camp as you. As matter and spirit to me are two sides of the same coin, just as matter and energy, I believe there is a part of God in everything as well.
And I love your ending. You state:
“And as a trinity God is Generation – Organisation – Dissolution/renewal. The process of life, also described as: Creator – (process of) Creating – Creation.”
Perfect!
Hi Josh,
I have read somewhere, and it might even be in the link I sent you and which I also put in one of my replies on my latest article that these physicists you mention might be in the majority already.
If so then that is probably very recent because last year Donald Hoffman, one of the scientists who participated in the TV series The Mind of the Universe which was mentioned in a string of comments to my article The Crucifixion of the Ego, and who had also come to the conclusion that consciousness creates matter instead of the other way around, felt rather lonely still in this viewpoint.
From other young scientists I heard the statement that the number of those who stick to believing that matter comes first (and is the only real thing), whom they call ‘mainstream scientists’, is being reduced ‘funeral by funeral’. This point of vies is literally dying out and I hope and believe that the time that science and spirituality will reach the same conclusion, each coming from their own side and using their own terms, is rapidly approaching.
ALL matter could have a latent seed of consciousness, no matter how small or lowly in awareness………….BEAUTIFUL JOSHUA!
Cindy…this seems to be the only solution to everything. All other theories fail miserably, and while there are many opponents to this idea, I haven’t seen them offer any real solutions
Thank you for this wonderful enliglighting blog.
You’re very welcome Nampanzye.
God is in every atom and is the fractal / matrix that is the Being that contains our being.
And every atom must have a rudimentary consciousness.
Consciousness can only arise when in space/time/matter when something within Source Energy provokes the Source Energy to seek “out” from with-“in” something to become something. Thereby consciousness is an illusion manifesting from this Source Energy. Consciousness never exists in reality; virtual or absolute. Consciousness is the snare; the enlightenment trap that gives the ego it’s power; the desire to be…
Maybe we can say, “Christ-Consciousness” is only a human-beings attempt or longing-ness to “feel, to know”. Therefore, we as humans may eternally be-longing without ever truly belong-ing for the question, if we do; provokes ours-selves to set our-selves apart.
“Therefore, where I am going, you can not come”.
Could the words “where” and “you”…. be the bait of the snare??
Sick of this rebellious world. Human beings what is wrong with you. Who do you think God is? who do you think Satan is? You dishonor the sacrifice of Jesus Christ by labelling it just as metaphorical representation.
So much of talk in humbling the ego, but its just self-gratifying, stubbornly trying to push away God. Push push all you want, run hide ignore all you want, in the end, you will be ashamed.
I understand where you are coming from because I used to be you. But at some point you have to ask yourself why you believe what you believe. When you start looking inside yourself (meditation) and researching actual history the journey truly begins. It’s not pretty what the Roman Catholic Church did to suppress the ancient wisdom, but you owe it to yourself and those you love and care about to find out for yourself. A literal interpretation does little for the evolution of the soul, and it hasn’t been great for the planet either. There’s so much religious intolerance now. A spiritual interpretation can and will bring us together, one tired soul at a time.
“What you believe to be true, is it true? Or do you just believe it is true because you were taught that it is true and never looked any further?” Jason Bailor
I hope you find peace on your journey. Blessings 😊
I was also there. I was never overtly judgmental, but I used to think…”If only that person would come to know the truth, for their soul’s sake.” But I had so many questions that didn’t make sense because I was an avid reader of scripture from a very early age. And no one could answer the questions. If you are wondering what questions, they are the same ones you ask. The only difference is that you haven’t admitted yet that there aren’t any good answers for them in traditional doctrine and dogma, and that the answers are already within you if you aren’t afraid to face those questions.
Like Saul of Tarsus aka St. Paul says ‘ I consulted no man ‘ after his Road To Damascus conversion experience. When your soul is suddenly in the midst of The Alpha And Omega of all things…you KNOW it happened. Funny thing is it’s so difficult to describe, and so marginalized…mocked really…in our society. Why have so many of us been taught to scoff at this?
The powers of this world, like say, Emperor Constantine, go to such great lengths to capture and define God, then put him on ‘our side of the war’ that they could never allow personal individual revelation to some change the propaganda machine’s narrative.
Paul’s experience is telling. No doctrine, no dogma, nothing. Bright light with a sound on portion of acts, no sound in another. Mistake in the text. His entire experience seems more like a kundalini awakening. And then where does he go, the wilderness, just as Moses, the Israelites, and Jesus.
One has to really search to find a group of believers who will respect one’s ‘God moment’ because it’s a deep existential threat to the institution,…and there is one thing institutions do best: protect the institution. It’s always been this way….it’s a human defense response….crosses all denominations. Too bad, because instead of wise elders we get superficial slicksters. ‘The Sabbath was made for man, man was not made for the Sabbath ‘
Jesus was very clear about this, we are not just fuel for the machine……and that’s why all the institutions political and religious were threatened. This isn’t a minor theological issue….it may be the most critical because it defines who we select as leaders. the group that is allowed to define the nature of god….Those people have historically ruled over us. I really do hope this is changing as we learn to take responsibility for our own spiritual journey,…like jacob at pineal…we have to ‘ struggle with God and man’ and overcome. Peace. Love radiant christ shining brightly upon you all. !!!!
Joshua, have you heard of Walter Russell and his wife, Lao Russell? Tesla, a close friend, urged Russell to “lock up his knowledge in a safe for one thousand years until man was ready for it.” There is too much to tell about the Russells here, but of course, you can search the internet for his background and writings/teachings. Russell has a unique concept of God and how creation came into existence. Here is a site that gives a general explanation of Russell’s teachings: http://walter-russell.com/novice/. I personally cannot wrap my head around most of the science involved, but the basic ideas of God and creation have helped me a lot to understand more about God thus far. An organization which stems out of the Russells’ original “school” which is attempting to bring their revelations into modern time is the University of Philosophy and Science (https://www.philosophy.org). Just FYI!
Kim, thank you so much for the link and info. I will definitely look into this. Always looking forward to expanding my understanding.
Kim-
Thank you! I just looked at the site and it is very good and will share it with a friend. Have a great day~~~~
What does God mean to me? God is everything. It is an inside job. Nothing outside ourselves is real.
“Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.
This is how A Course in Miracles begins. It makes a fundamental distinction between the real and the unreal; between knowledge and perception. Knowledge is truth, under one law, the law of love or God. Truth is unalterable, eternal and unambiguous. It can be unrecognized, but it cannot be changed. It applies to everything that God created, and only what He created is real. It is beyond learning because it is beyond time and process. It has no opposite; no beginning and no end. It merely is.
The world of perception, on the other hand, is the world of time, of change, of beginnings and endings. It is based on interpretation, not on facts. It is the world of birth and death, founded on the belief in scarcity, loss, separation and death. It is learned rather than given, selective in its perceptual emphases, unstable in its functioning, and inaccurate in its interpretations.” Preface, A Course in Miracles
“Nothing outside ourselves can make us suffer, except of our unquestioned thoughts” Byron Katie
“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.”
― Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
Perfect!
I AM = OUM
JE SUIS = JESUS
DIOS = DIOS SOY
Eliette…
While I get where you are going in the first line, could you elaborate further on the second two? Thanks.
Hi Josh,
As Eliette has not answered yet, I think I can help you too.
The sound Oum or Ohm resembles the sound of I am.
Je suis obviously resembles the name Jesus. It is French for I am.
Dios soy is Spanish and means I am God.
As such it reads: I am Oum, I am Jesus, I am God.
Thank you, Anny. I am unlearned in French and Spanish, although I was able to put two and two together. Her comment is profound, and I was originally thinking she was referring to a trinity, in the original Hebraic sense. In her comment we have the ineffable, the word, and the self, which is also the one and the same.
Thanks for translations! I appreciate your knowledge so much on this blog, and looking forward to another one of your articles whenever you come around to it.
Blessings.
Hi Josh, I am glad to have been of service. To be honest, my French and Spanish are not all that good either – such a long time ago since I last engaged with it – but these sentences still make sense to me. Indeed, a profound comment.
As far as another article is concerned, it is almost on its way!. I am in the finishing stages. I hope to be able to send it to you before the weekend.
Love,
Anny
Thanks, Anny
The fact of the matter is that everything that appears to have been said in this comment section and article is dismissing the fundamental reality that our forefathers in the Faith died for their beliefs. They didn’t die because they believed in ‘crucifying the ego’ or any of these other loaded, self-existentialist concepts. They felt it imperative to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the man-God who literally died and literally Rose from the dead in victory over the undefeatable. It feels inherently self-serving and ignorant to deny the literal realities eagerly taught by the Apostles and Martyrs of the Way.
The fact of the matter is that everything that appears to have been said in this comment section and article is dismissing the fundamental reality that our forefathers in the Faith DIED for their beliefs. They didn’t die because they believed in ‘crucifying the ego’ or any of these other loaded, self-indulgent, existentialist concepts. They felt it imperative to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the man-God who literally died and literally Rose from the dead in victory over the undefeatable. It feels inherently self-serving and ignorant to deny the literal realities eagerly taught by the Apostles and Martyrs of the Way. They weren’t willingly being killed off because they wanted you to become ‘enlightened’. They wanted you to attain the gift of Salvation, to carry out the final commands of the Master, and to be delivered the Holy Spirit that was promised to us in order that we may be able to cultivate a personal relationship with our Lord and build his Kingdom. There is no Christ Paul, no Christ John, only the Christ Jesus. There is no ‘Christ consciousness’.
“Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sons of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected- even children in the third and fourth generations” (Exodus 34:6-7)
Indeed he is the I AM, but to claim he doesn’t give any defining attributes as to who he is, can be perceived as slightly irresponsible, especially since you are using the Book of Exodus as your reference point. This Book in particular is rife in attributes of a personal, emotional God.
Yahweh is a spiritual dance between three personalities: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We have been blessed with the perfect sacrifice of the Holy Lamb in our Lord Jesus Christ.
While many of the themes you highlight aren’t necessarily incorrect (as scripture is intricately layered in meaning), the general consensus that I am reading from both you (Josh) and the commenters is that God is just some cosmic wave we can ride in search of detaching from ego and not a personal, relational being worthy of praise and reverence. While the Bible is Rich in Spirituality and Mysticism, I believe it is unbiblical to cast aside the very biblical principles of God’s personhood.
“You must worship no other God’s, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is Jealous about his relationship with you”
Exodus 34:14
God is simply more than we can compartmentalize and though he’s given us a great framework with the Scriptures, we must continue to hone our understanding of the Creator by following his Word and carrying out a committed relationship to his Son, the Christ. As a former Eastern philosophy practitioner, it feels so much better knowing that God is more than unsympathetic consciousness but a loving, personal friend.
In the Apostolic faith of our ancestors, I greet you with great love from our Lord Jesus.
Thank you for your comment. I do not mean to say no attributes are given throughout other places in the Bible, only that they are not here in the traditional manner when God speaks this to Moses, and it’s very telling. All your other points are addressed through different articles on this blog.
Blessings.
What if God was just bored and alone in the universe? And broke his consciousness into fragments. Perceiving with an ego-based mind, solipsism would be considered selfish, arrogant and there’s a lot of negativity associated with it. But being the Almighty, it may be lonely at the top and it has nothing to do with selfishness. One cannot make God because he already exist- he also can’t die. You live forever and ever and ever and there’s no really escaping that except “rest”. When we are dreaming, we make up all kinds of characters with personalities,details and we perceive the dream to be very real and feel things within the dream, even pain. But when we wake up all the people in the dream were just made up by the mind and figments of our imagination. But they are a part of you in a way. The observer experiences itself and associates oneself as the avatar in the dream. In Hinduism’s creation story, Lord Vishnu is in a deep sleep on top of a coiled serpent Ananta(one without beginning or end) over a vast ocean—and out came Brahman on lotus from His navel who created everything while Shiva destroys. In another Hindu creation story in the Brhadaryanka Upanishad- (copied from
another site) “the world is said to have come into existence because the Primeval One, having become bored being the only being in existence, split Itself into a variety of forms and manifestations (i.e., the material world and all of its beings) so that, through them, It could experience a loving and playful relationship with Itself.”
I just feel like in eternity, shouldn’t everything had already been accomplished? and there’s not much left to do? But I do also believe that in order to become unified with God again, you would have purify the mind and mature the emotions to get back to the original state of mind/unity/your true Self. I am in no way saying this is true or not true, I am merely challenging some beliefs. I also really like some of the material on your website about disciplining the lower self/lower mind and the emotions.